NRA breaks silence after shootings, may now offer 'meaningful contributions'

By Halimah Abdullah, CNN

Updated 11:25 AM ET, Thu December 20, 2012

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Candles burn next to a lighted tree at a makeshift shrine in Newtown, Connecticut, commemorating the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Erica Simmons rings the campus bell at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, during a nationwide commemoration December 21, marking a week since the Newtown, Connecticut, mass shooting. Church bells rang out across the country at 9:30 ET Friday to remember those who died in the gun rampage.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman pauses at a streetside memorial during a moment of silence on December 21 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Connecticut State Police block the road to Sandy Hook Elementary School during a moment of silence on December 21. A week ago, a gunman forced his way into the school and shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman bows her head in Newtown's Sandy Hook village on December 21.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People observe a moment of silence for the school shooting victims at the Blue Colony Diner in Newtown on December 21.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Children in Newtown, excluding Sandy Hook Elementary, return to classes on Tuesday, December 18, four days after the shooting at the elementary school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, holds a news conference with the Brady Campaign to discuss gun violence. In attendance with the Brady Campaign were several survivors of gun violence and family members of victims of gun violence.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Members of the human rights group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption light candles showing the names of those killed during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, during a prayer vigil in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines on December 18.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Children light candles to pay their respects to the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting at the main square in Tirana, Albania, on Monday, December 17. The deadly gun rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School has provoked strong reactions from around the world.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Protesters march on the National Rifle Association's Capitol Hill lobbyist offices in Washington on December 17.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks out for stronger gun control at a press conference at City Hall on December 17. Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was joined by victims and survivors of gun violence.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Chris Foye, whose son Chris Owens was killed by a stray bullet in 2009, stands with other survivors and family members of gun violence at Bloomberg's press conference on December 17 in New York.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People pay their respects on December 17 at a makeshift shrine in Newtown to the victims of Friday's elementary school shooting. Funerals began Monday in the Connecticut town.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange hold a moment of silence on December 17 in honor of the shooting victims.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Young people mourn at Newtown High School before a memorial service attended by President Obama on Sunday, December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – President Barack Obama waits to speak at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School December 16 at Newtown High School.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Mourners comfort one another December 16 before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Two women embrace before the interfaith vigil at Newtown High School on Sunday evening.

Reaction to Newtown school killings – A young boy walks past Christmas trees set up at a makeshift shrine to the shooting victims in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Ty Diaz is kissed by his mother, Yvette, at a memorial down the street from Sandy Hook on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Teddy bears, flowers and candles in memory of those killed are left at a memorial down the street from the school on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Two teenagers embrace at a makeshift shrine to the victims in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Nuns pay their respects at a makeshift shrine to the victims on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Members of Sisters of Christian Charity go to lay flowers in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman receives a hug as she leaves morning service December 16 at Trinity Church in Newtown near the elementary school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Parishioners pay their respects to the victims of the elementary school shooting while attending Mass at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Police officers honor the victims of the school shooting at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church on December 16 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – The Jacksonville Jaguars have a moment of silence in honor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims before their game against the Miami Dolphins on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A parishioner kneels in front of a makeshift memorial at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A police officer removes flowers from a busy intersection on December 16 in Newtown. Police said they were afraid the memorial, left for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, would cause a traffic hazard.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman hugs her daughter on the steps of Trinity Church on December 16 in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Angel wood cutouts for each of the 27 victims are set up on hillside in Newtown on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People in Bangalore, India, hold cards and photographs of the slain at a candlelight vigil outside a Catholic church on December 16.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans shows his glove in remembrance of the victims before the start of a game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 16 in Houston.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Donna Soto, right, mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, hugs her daughter Karly while mourning their loss at a candlelight memorial at Stratford High School on Saturday, December 15, in Stratford, Connecticut.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Firefighters kneel to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A child lights a candle at a memorial filled with flowers, stuffed toys and candles outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Candles light up a memorial outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Lucas, Kelly and Michael DaSilva pray and embrace at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People are overcome with emotion Saturday at a makeshift memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Residents arrive Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A couple carry balloons to place at a curbside shrine to in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A mother and daughter attend a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Flowers and signs of sympathy adorn the street leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Claudia Urbiana and daughter Jocelyne Cardenas, left, hug outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A makeshift memorial with flowers, stuffed toys and candles sit outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A man bows his head as he stands at a makeshift memorial, outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on Saturday, December 15.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – New Jersey resident Steve Wruble, who was moved to drive out to Connecticut to support local residents, grieves for victims at the entrance to Sandy Hook village in Newtown on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People attend a prayer service in Newtown on Saturday to reflect.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A mother hugs her children after paying tribute to the victims in Newtown on Saturday, December 15.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Newtown High School student Trevor Lopez stands outside of a church where residents have come to pray and reflect on Saturday

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Andrea Jaeger places flowers and a candle at a makeshift memorial outside a firehouse near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – The U.S. flag flies at half-staff above the White House on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Ken Kowalsky and his daughter Rebecca, 13, embrace while standing at the end of the road leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman puts a flower near crosses planted by Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace), in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman sits during a service at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut on Friday, December 14.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Fans at the NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns participate in a moment of silence for the victims of the Newtown shooting on Friday in Phoenix.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – An overflow crowd listens to a church service held at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown on December 14.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a vigil outside the White House in Washington following the Connecticut elementary school shooting on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Candles burn as people gather for a vigil outside the White House.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Hartford, Connecticut, Mayor Padro Segarra speaks emotionally about the students and teachers who died earlier in the day at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown at a candlelight vigil at Bushnell Park in Hartford on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Cynthia Alvarez is comforted by her mother, Lilia, as people gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church in Newtown.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather inside the St. Rose Church to remember the shooting victims on Friday

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman bows her head during a vigil for the shooting victims at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People gather in the St. Rose Church for a memorial service Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Women comfort each other during the vigil at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A woman looks on during the vigil at St. Rose Church.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – People hug outside of the Newtown United Methodist Church on Friday, near the site of the shootings at the Sandy Hook school.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – A flag at the U.S. Capitol flies at half-staff after President Barack Obama ordered the action while speaking from the White House. Obama called for "meaningful action" in the wake of the school shooting.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Julie Henson of San Francisco joins other people outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil on Friday.

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Reaction to Newtown school killings – Obama wipes tears as he makes a statement in response to the shooting on Friday.

The National Rifle Association, with roughly 4.3 million members, deactivated its Facebook page, had stopped tweeting on its Twitter account and had been issuing a "no comment" to any media outlet, including CNN, seeking a response.

"The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters -- and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown. Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting. The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again," the group said. It plans to hold "a major news conference" on Friday and both their Facebook and Twitter presences are active again.

But despite the relative radio silence early on from the powerful lobbying group's offices in Fairfax, Virginia, the organization is regrouping in anticipation of a massive legislative push to introduce or, in some cases, reintroduce gun control legislation, say former NRA officers and gun policy experts.

Kristin Goss, an associate professor of public policy and political science at Duke University and author of "Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America," said that strategy is part of the organization's playbook after an incident such as this one.

"The typical pattern is something horrific happens. There is a national outcry, mourning. People call for a national conversation on gun control. Gun rights proponents lay low," Goss said. "They're used to seeing this cycle express condolences and hope the attention will shift to a new issue."

When the NRA does speak in detail, it will do so forcefully and with the type of political sway and heft the pro-gun lobby has carefully amassed over dozens of election cycles, experts say.

"When the emotions come down, I'm sure you'll hear the NRA address this issue. It'll be in January when legislation is introduced. They'll testify at hearings. You'll hear the same kind of arguments that I'd come up with," said Richard Feldman, who served as regional political director for the NRA during its rise to power in the 1980s and is president of a gun rights group, the Independent Firearm Owners Association.

When that happens, the group will wield the full power of its millions of members and leverage the $17 million it spent in federal races this year helping elect candidates who it considers supporters of the NRA's mission, said policy experts.

"What we're likely to see is the NRA being a part of the behind-the-scenes conversation," said Scott Melzer, an associate sociology professor at Albion College in Michigan and author of the book "Gun Crusaders: The NRA's Culture War."

That's because in Washington's halls of power, what takes place behind closed doors often has more impact that what happens in the public eye.

And money speaks volumes.

During the 2012 election cycle, the NRA donated $719,596 to candidates. Republicans received $634,146 of that, according to the Center for Responsive Politics' analysis of federal campaign data. For example, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, ranked among the top five recipients, having received $7,450 in this cycle.

According to the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group, the NRA spends 66 times more on lobbying than what the Brady Campaign to End Gun violence, the country's top gun control advocacy organization, spends. And the NRA spends 4,143 times what the Brady Campaign spends on campaign contributions, the Sunlight Foundation found.

But the group's political power isn't just about money.

"If you took money out of politics, that wouldn't weaken the NRA. It would make it stronger. What NRA can do that (Mayor Michael) Bloomberg can't do is communicate with millions of people who care about this issue," Feldman said.

Even Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who has had a mixed history on the issue of gun control, paid homage to the group during the general election. His first speech to a conservative audience after the contentious GOP primary season was at the NRA's annual meeting this spring, a speech in front of more than 60,000 gun enthusiasts in St. Louis.

In 2012, the group marshaled forces to lobby on more than 60 measures, including "a bill to prohibit the Department of Justice from tracking and cataloging the purchases of multiple rifles and shotguns," according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics. The legislation was sponsored by Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and co-sponsored by 34 Republican and moderate Democrats, including West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

Manchin is among a small group of conservative Democrats with high rankings from the NRA for pro-gun rights legislative stances who has suggested revisiting gun control policies.

However, on the Sunday after the Newtown shooting, not one of the 31 pro-gun rights senators with high NRA rankings agreed to go on NBC's "Meet the Press" or CBS' "Face the Nation."

"There are many single-issue gun rights voters and Republicans -- who now control the House of Representatives -- know it's a bad move to vote (against the NRA)," said Melzer said. "That's a sure way to ensure there will be a primary opponent."

That's because they know that after they mourn for the dead, there's not much time, money or a broader platform to make their case for change before most people move on in their lives, said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. His group has spent 20-hour days on staff calls, legislative strategy sessions and fielding calls from gun violence survivors and celebrities and mayors who want to sign on.

"Look," Glaze said, "when this kind of thing happens, we have to make the case in that very short window -- what went wrong, why it went wrong, how you can fix it -- in a way that motivates Congress to do what it should."

The Brady Campaign to prevent Gun Violence was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with members of a new community group, Newtown United.

Josh Horwitz with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence said his group just hired temporary staff to deal with hundreds of new volunteers who want to help after Newtown.

There's usually a narrow window to make an impact, gun control advocates say. But this time, things may be different.

"With something as terrible as this is, involving children, the window is open a little wider than it has been before," Glaze said. "I think my back of the envelope is usually about a month. But after the series of mass shootings and the gravity of this one, I think we may have a little more time."